Tree Swing Reading

Summer Things Giveaway: Part 7

A new bunch of books to giveaway!

The giveaways for this theme will be about a random series of books related only because they are about things that make me think of summer!

For this theme I have a bunch of summer things in my mind:
1. bugs
2. beach
3. travel
4. storms
5. horse-riding
6. gardening/farms
7. going home to visit my family
8. weddings
9. blue sky
10. dandelions
11. hiking
12. potlucks
13. crazy reality shows
14. books with the word "summer" in them

I had other words, but couldn't think of books to use to relate to them! :)

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the blog entries of the books you would like to win AND answer the question that goes with it. There will be one summer word giveaway at a time. 

Today's Question: Today's theme is about "going home."  When I go back to my hometown, I love getting to eat some of my favorite Dutch food again that I can't get here.  I love speculaas cookies, stroopwafel, poffertjes, and bonket.  Are there any special foods that are unique to your heritage that you really enjoy?

b. Enter on or before the date specified. Today's book winner will be drawn on August 9.

c. Check back for the next summer theme word giveaway!

Today's summer word: "going home."  I live in Wisconsin but grew up in a little town in Washington state where the theme is "visit Holland without a passport."  The storefronts are set to look like a street in Holland and there's a canal running through the little Dutch Village mall.  Every summer in August we fly back to spend time with my parents, my three bothers and their families, and all my nephews and nieces. 

The books being given away: The Duet and The Recital by Robert Elmer.  Why do these books remind me of home?  Because the town in which The Duet takes place and the customs and characteristics of that town are based on my home town.  Reading The Duet was like waking up and strolling down Front Street past the Dutch bakery, the Ace Hardware, the Reformed churches, and catching the farm smells.  Elmer really captured the essence of my quiet, conservative Dutch hometown, right down to the Calvinist mindset and the reading of the Cannons of Dordt. 

But even if you didn't grown up in a quaint little Dutch town, you can really enjoy The Duet.  While the setting is my hometown and my heritage, it could be any small town USA and the growth that can come when we are willing to open our hearts up to something new and allow for the possibility that love can come when you least expect it.  Elmer's characters are rich and deep and were as real to me as the Dutch farmers who hang out at the Dutch Treat with my dad.  Gerrit is a stubborn dutchman (and believe me, they can be stubborn), who is resistant to change, afraid of things that are "different"--like a church that isn't Reformed, and a computer, and the possibility that his son doesn't want the family farm--who ends up opening himself up to a whole new world as he becomes friends with his granddaugher's piano teacher from New York.  Joan gently reaches Gerrit and challenges him to try new things, including piano lessons--though don't let the other farmers hear about that one!

The Recital is a continuation of their love story and the challenges that come when a stubborn dutchman farmer is pulled out of his little dutch town and moves to the big city.

Here's more about the books:

The Duet

WaterBrook Press, ISBN: 1-57856-740-8

When widower Gerrit Appeldoorn takes his granddaughter to piano lessons one day, he finds himself drawn to her music teacher: a woman unlike any he has known. It's an unlikely attraction. He's a retired dairyman with mud on his boots; Joan Horton is a world traveler and former piano instructor at New York's most prestigious academy of music. Not quite "beauty and the beast," but close.

Even so, Gerrit slowly begins to open his heart: to Joan, to music, to the possibilities that may be found in both. Yet as their relationship deepens, Gerrit faces crises concerning his family and farm, while Joan confronts a dark secret that threatens her future. While coping with these challenges, neither can predict how their duet will sound as they practice the music of renewed hope and second chances.

(I really cannot even wrap my brain around the beautiful way that Elmer captures both the comfort and security of small town life as well as the challenges that come from small town stubborness, if you know what I mean.  I am immediately traveling in my mind back home to the comforts of the place where everyone knows you and yet am remembering the crazy stubborn "dutch" way.  I love my small town home and miss it greatly!  And while there were times when it drove me crazy to live there, having kids of my own has made me long to be able to bring them up in that safe environment.  Here's to Lynden, Washington, the real dutch town!)

The Recital   (a sequel to The Duet)

WaterBrook Press, ISBN: 140007164X

Gerrit and Joan discovered the beauty of second chances when they fell in love. But life isn't necessarily "happily ever after" when the widowed dairy farmer and big-city piano teacher get married. When they move to Chicago to pursue a teaching opportunity for Joan, Gerrit the country boy must find new purpose in an unfamiliar urban world. It's not an easy change for him, but his friendship with Zhao, a visiting Chinese musician, begins to give him new purpose.

Meanwhile, Joan tries to accept her husband for who he is, even as she struggles to find her place as a music professor in this clash between small-own values and big-city ways.

In this poignant sequel to The Duet, Joan and Gerrit redefine the meaning of love and home as they learn painful new lessons about mutual sacrifice.

Prize Inside

Thanks for all your support of my sleepy ramblings yesterday!  We did have a better night last night...progress anyway.  I talked to the neighbor about her dog too.  And the church festival thing is over.  I think my daughter's sleep issues will take time though.  The only thing I know to do is to try to take the pressure out of the situation and just let her know that she is safe and loved no matter what.  It's like the "issue" itself has grown into such a monster that it produces anxiety in and of itself which leads to sleep issues which makes it worse and so on...

As far as my anxiety about my trip home.  I can't tell you how hard it is to feel like a constant disappointment.  Why is it that even in my thirties I am still like a little girl wanting her parents to say "good job"?  I have so much shame wrapped up in my inability to lose weight.  I did have a small epiphany however.  I was listening to Anita Renfroe (love her!) talk on her "Momsense" DVD and she was talking about the old candy Cracker Jacks and how we loved to see those magic words, "Prize Inside."  She reminded me that when we get the candy we don't dump out the contents and cherish the box, but it is the inside that matters.  For me too, right?  My outward appearance is not the prize.  It does not make me valuable or not valuable.  I think of the Lord's guidance of Samuel to choose David to be king:  1 Samuel 16:7

    ⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I feel like I totally forgot about this verse!  I don't know how I could have forgotten it.  I think it will be my theme verse for the visit.

Mumblings of the Sleep-deprived

I miss sleep!  Sleep has become like the little baby rabbits that live in our hostas.  I see them, but everytime I get close they run away.  I am now in an all-out sprint to catch some sleep.  It's getting crazy!  Every night something happens that steals my sleep away.

Why am I not sleeping?  Let me give you my list.

1. The neighbor's dog.  The neighbors next door have a little yippy dog that goes outside late at night, early morning, in the middle of the night, whenever to "do it's business" and then barks and barks and barks!  My bedroom window is on that side of the house and the dog wakes me up every time.  This dog's bark is like nails on a chalkboard too--high pitched and squeaky.  When my friends are here and hear it they can't believe a dog is capable of such an obnoxious noise.  Now imagine it waking you up just when you are falling into dream land!

(dog owners, can you help me out here?  What do I do?  My neighbor knows that her dog's barking is bothering us, but she doesn't seem to be able to stop her dog from barking.  Is it possible to train a dog not to bark so much?)

2. The church festival.  Yes.  A church a few miles away has been having a festival with live bands until midnight.  I have all my windows closed and a fan going and I can still hear it!  I cannot even imagine what the people living near that church are feeling about that church now.  Crazy way to turn off a bunch of people!

3. My nine-year-old daughter.  For some reason my oldest has sleep issues.  This summer they have gotten out of hand.  She has trouble falling asleep.  Then she panics because she can't sleep and then she gets a stomach ache and then I know I am facing another night where it will take her hours to settle down and fall asleep.  Every night I hold my breath to see if she will finally approach sleep peacefully.  Every night I am disappointed.  She also has allergies this summer and will start coughing as soon as she lays down. And once she starts coughing, she won't stop for hours. Believe me when I say we have tried everything.  The only thing that helps her is to be propped up more in a recliner-type chair for sleeping.  So sometimes I move her into the family room to sleep in a recliner there to help with the nasal drainage.  She is afraid to be alone in there so this puts me sleeping in the family room too.  Now I'm even closer to the barking dog! 

4. Anxiety.  In all my anxiety over my daughter and what to do about the dog next door and the approaching trip to see my family (knowing that I am once again a disappointment because I have not lost enough weight--I talked more about this in an earlier post), my stomach problems have flared back up.  I've started having panic attacks.

Sleep is a crazy thing.  The more desperate I am for it, the more ellusive it has become.  I miss my friend sleep.  I hope she comes to visit me tonight and brings me some relief. In the meantime, can you pass the coffee?   

Summer Things Giveaway: Part 6

 

A new bunch of books to giveaway!

The giveaways for this theme will be about a random series of books related only because they are about things that make me think of summer!

For this theme I have a bunch of summer things in my mind:
1. bugs
2. beach
3. travel
4. storms
5. horse-riding
6. gardening/farms
7. going home to visit my family
8. weddings
9. blue sky
10. dandelions
11. hiking
12. potlucks
13. crazy reality shows
14. books with the word "summer" in them

I had other words, but couldn't think of books to use to relate to them! :)

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the blog entries of the books you would like to win AND answer the question that goes with it. There will be one summer word giveaway at a time. 

Today's Question: These books are about animals that are almost human with their ability to comfort hurting kids.  Have you ever had a pet that had a big impact on you or someone you love?  I don't have any really powerful stories except that my neighbors growing up had about every kind of animal imaginable from baby ducks to birds to a horse and somehow going over there to play with their animals always brought joy to me and helped an extremely shy little girl find some friends who she could be comfortable with.

b. Enter on or before the date specified. Today's book winner will be drawn on August 6.

c. Check back for the next summer theme word giveaway!

Today's summer word: "horses" (why horses for summer?  because my daughter takes riding lessons in the summer and is obsessed with them!)

The books being given away: Hope Rising and A Bridge Called Hope by Kim Meeder.

Description:

Transforming an abandoned rock quarry into Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, Kim and her husband, Troy, created the perfect match---a rundown property filled with broken horses, all to love back to life thousands of mistreated children. Come visit a place where the impossible flourishes, dreams survive a mean reality---and hope rises.

My Thoughts:

These are powerful stories of hope and love and miracles!  Get your tissues ready as you laugh and cry and are struck again and again with the power of love and the grace of God.  As I read I was reminded again and again of how animals can reach a place in broken people that other people can't always reach.  These horses are human-like in their ability to sense pain and provide comfort, often because they themselves have had pain and mistreatment in their lives too.  Amazing miracles take place on this ranch.  It makes me want to go their to help!

Read more about the ranch here: http://www.crystalpeaksyouthranch.org/

Need a lift to your spirit?  Read these books and believe again in hope.

 

A new bunch of books to giveaway!

The giveaways for this theme will be about a random series of books related only because they are about things that make me think of summer!

For this theme I have a bunch of summer things in my mind:
1. bugs
2. beach
3. travel
4. storms
5. horse-riding
6. gardening/farms
7. going home to visit my family
8. weddings
9. blue sky
10. dandelions
11. hiking
12. potlucks
13. crazy reality shows
14. books with the word "summer" in them

I had other words, but couldn't think of books to use to relate to them! :)

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the blog entries of the books you would like to win AND answer the question that goes with it. There will be one summer word giveaway at a time. 

Today's Question: These books are about animals that are almost human with their ability to comfort hurting kids.  Have you ever had a pet that had a big impact on you or someone you love?  I don't have any really powerful stories except that my neighbors growing up had about every kind of animal imaginable from baby ducks to birds to a horse and somehow going over there to play with their animals always brought joy to me and helped an extremely shy little girl find some friends who she could be comfortable with.

b. Enter on or before the date specified. Today's book winner will be drawn on August 6.

c. Check back for the next summer theme word giveaway!

Today's summer word: "horses" (why horses for summer?  because my daughter takes riding lessons in the summer and is obsessed with them!)

The books being given away: Hope Rising and A Bridge Called Hope by Kim Meeder.

Description:

Transforming an abandoned rock quarry into Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, Kim and her husband, Troy, created the perfect match---a rundown property filled with broken horses, all to love back to life thousands of mistreated children. Come visit a place where the impossible flourishes, dreams survive a mean reality---and hope rises.

My Thoughts:

These are powerful stories of hope and love and miracles!  Get your tissues ready as you laugh and cry and are struck again and again with the power of love and the grace of God.  As I read I was reminded again and again of how animals can reach a place in broken people that other people can't always reach.  These horses are human-like in their ability to sense pain and provide comfort, often because they themselves have had pain and mistreatment in their lives too.  Amazing miracles take place on this ranch.  It makes me want to go their to help!

Read more about the ranch here: http://www.crystalpeaksyouthranch.org/

Need a lift to your spirit?  Read these books and believe again in hope.

Summer Things Giveaway: Part 5

A new bunch of books to giveaway!

The giveaways for this theme will be about a random series of books related only because they are about things that make me think of summer!

For this theme I have a bunch of summer things in my mind:
1. bugs
2. beach
3. travel
4. storms
5. horse-riding
6. gardening/farms
7. going home to visit my family
8. weddings
9. blue sky
10. dandelions
11. hiking
12. potlucks
13. crazy reality shows
14. books with the word "summer" in them

I had other words, but couldn't think of books to use to relate to them! :)

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the blog entries of the books you would like to win AND answer the question that goes with it. There will be one summer word giveaway at a time. 

Today's Question: Today's book has a lot of cute interactions between 4-year-old Joey and his family, do you have any funny kid stories? (Doesn't have to be about your own kids--can be a niece/nephew, about you when you were a kid, kids you've seen in stores, etc.) I have 2, one from each of my girls.  One time when my oldest was 4 we were at a fabric store making a return and the clerk was being very crabby about the return.  Grace looks up at me and says, "Mom.  She's crabby.  She needs a time out." Everyone in line laughed, but the clerk didn't even have the nerve to be emarassed.   Then with my youngest, she was about 3 and playing by herself at my mother-in-law's.  She always concentrates really hard when she plays.  My mother-in-law was talking to her but she wasn't really listening.  Suddenly she realized that her grandma was talking so she looked up at her and said, "Are you talking to God?"  My mother-in-law thought it was so funny!

b. Enter on or before the date specified. Today's book winner will be drawn on August 5.

c. Check back for the next summer theme word giveaway!

Today's summer word: "dandelions"

The book being given away: Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury. Did you know they are making this book into a movie?

Description:

In a quiet Florida town, life is idyllic for Jack and Molly Campbell and their 4-year-old son, Joey. But one day a phone call shatters their peace. A social worker reports that Joey's biological father, newly released from prison, wants his son back. Can Jack devise a plan to circumvent a judge's devastating decision?

My Thoughts:

Another heart-grabbing story by Kingsbury!  Reading it was kind of hard for me in the sense that I could feel my heart ripping out with Molly and Jack at the thought of losing their son.  I cannot even imagine the pain that situation would cause.  I thought the characters were well-developed and real. I especially enjoyed Joey and the childlike faith and trust he embodied.  Kingsbury's books are always enjoyable and this was no exception!

Summer Things Giveaway: Part 4

 

A new bunch of books to giveaway!

The giveaways for this theme will be about a random series of books related only because they are about things that make me think of summer!

For this theme I have a bunch of summer things in my mind:
1. bugs
2. beach
3. travel
4. storms
5. horse-riding
6. gardening/farms
7. going home to visit my family
8. weddings
9. blue sky
10. dandelions
11. hiking
12. potlucks
13. crazy reality shows
14. books with the word "summer" in them

I had other words, but couldn't think of books to use to relate to them! :)

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the blog entries of the books you would like to win AND answer the question that goes with it. There will be one summer word giveaway at a time. 

Today's Question: What do you think about thunderstorms?  Do they freak you out?  Do you like them?  Do you get bad storms where you live?  (We live in the midwest, so we get our share of thunderstorms.  They used to bother me, but not as much anymore--they bug me only because they scare my girls and keep me awake at night sometimes.  I really don't like tornadoes though.)

b. Enter on or before the date specified. Today's book winner will be drawn on August 4.

c. Check back for the next summer theme word giveaway!

Today's summer word: "storms"

The books being given away: The Storm Series by Rene Gutteridge.

Description:

FBI agent and part-time storm chaser Mick Klein wants answers. His brother has been murdered and the police have no leads. Mick's investigation leads him to a beautiful blind woman who knows something, but she's terrified of strangers---including him. What has frightened her so badly? Can he persuade her to talk before it's too late?

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy Rene Gutteridge's books and this one was no exception.  A nice mix of suspense and mystery combined with the development of a friendship between Mick and Faith.  Both Mick and Faith wrestle with ways to survive the loss of someone they love to murder--Mick has lost his brother and Faith her husband.  Mick deals with his loss by pushing himself to find the killer and keep busy.  Faith deals with it by running away and hiding herself.  A nice summer read from one of my favorite authors.

Book 2 Description:

When FBI agent and weather tracker Mick Klein awakens in a strange apartment, he has no idea how his life is about to change. Suddenly he's the prime suspect in a murder case---and his estranged brother is his only link to the truth. Will Mick learn in time that only God can set him free?

Book 3 Description:

After ten years, FBI Agent Mick Kline thought he had put his past behind him. But when mysterious letters start arriving at his house, Mick finds himself drawn back to a case that had been solved ten years ago. A murder case in which Mick had once been the prime suspect. Mick's investigation leads him to a man on death row for a crime he claims he didn't commit and the homocide detective who handled the case. As Mick gets close to discovering the truth, a woman he cares about is kidnapped and held hostage. It's a race against time as Mick rushes to stop a murderer before he kills again.

CFBA Blog Tour of "Try Darkness" by James Scott Bell

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Try Darkness
(Center Street - July 30, 2008)
by
James Scott Bell

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

JAMES SCOTT BELL is a former trial lawyer who now writes full time. He has also been the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine and adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University.

The national bestselling author of several novels of suspense, he grew up and still lives in Los Angeles. His first Buchanan thriller, TRY DYING, was released to high critical praise, while his book on writing, Plot and Structure is one of the most popular writing books available today.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ty Buchanan is living on the peaceful grounds of St. Monica’s, far away from the glamorous life he led as a rising trial lawyer for a big L.A. firm. Recovering from the death of his fiancée and a false accusation of murder, Buchanan has found his previous ambitions unrewarding. Now he prefers offering legal services to the poor and the underrepresented from his “office” at local coffee bar The Freudian Sip. With his new friends, the philosophizing Father Bob and basketball-playing Sister Mary Veritas, Buchanan has found a new family of sorts.
One of his first clients is a mysterious woman who arrives with her six-year-old daughter. They are being illegally evicted from a downtown transient hotel, an interest that Ty soon discovers is represented by his old law firm and his former best friend, Al Bradshaw. Buchanan won’t back down. He’s going to fight for the woman’s rights.
But then she ends up dead, and the case moves from the courtroom to the streets. Determined to find the killer and protect the little girl, who has no last name and no other family, Buchanan finds he must depend on skills he never needed in the employ of a civil law firm.
The trail leads Buchanan through the sordid underbelly of the city and to the mansions and yachts of the rich and famous. No one is anxious to talk.
But somebody wants Buchanan to shut up. For good.
Now he must use every legal and physical edge he knows to keep himself and the girl alive.
Once again evoking the neo-noir setting of contemporary Los Angeles, Bell delivers another thriller where darkness falls and the suspense never rests.

If you would like to read chapters 1 & 2, go HERE

“Bell has created in Buchanan an appealing and series-worthy protagonist, and the tale equally balances action and drama, motion and emotion. Readers who pride themselves on figuring out the answers before an author reveals them are in for a surprise, too: Bell is very good at keeping secrets. Fans of thrillers with lawyers as their central characters—Lescroart and Margolin, especially—will welcome this new addition to their must-read lists.”
—Booklist

“Engaging whodunit series kickoff . . . Readers will enjoy Bell's talent for description and character development.”
—Publishers Weekly

“James Scott Bell has written himself into a niche that traditionally has been reserved for the likes of Raymond Chandler.”
—Los Angeles Times

“A master of suspense.”
—Library Journal

“One of the best writers out there, bar none.”
—In the Library Review

"James Scott Bell has created a winning series, and here's to hoping Ty Buchanan keeps on 'Trying'!"
--Deena Peterson, A Peek At My Bookshelf (Click for full review)

My Thoughts:

I always love James Scott Bell's books and this one is no exception!  I really like this character and his appealing mix of likeability and humaness.  A great series. 

Winners of "Love Starts with Elle"

Congrats to Mary and Pattie whose names were drawn to win a copy of Love Starts with Elle.

Summer Things Giveaway: Part 3

A new bunch of books to giveaway!

The giveaways for this theme will be about a random series of books related only because they are about things that make me think of summer!

For this theme I have a bunch of summer things in my mind:
1. bugs
2. beach
3. travel
4. storms
5. horse-riding
6. gardening/farms
7. going home to visit my family
8. weddings
9. blue sky
10. dandelions
11. hiking
12. potlucks
13. crazy reality shows
14. books with the word "summer" in them

I had other words, but couldn't think of books to use to relate to them! :)

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the blog entries of the books you would like to win AND answer the question that goes with it. There will be one summer word giveaway at a time. 

Today's Question: What bug bugs you the most?  For me it is the mosquitoe!  They are soooo bad here this year!  I guess because of all the rain we had earlier.

b. Enter on or before the date specified. Today's book winner will be drawn on July 31.

c. Check back for the next summer theme word giveaway!

Today's summer word: "bugs"

The book being given away: The Bug Man Series by Tim Downs.

Book 1: Shoofly Pie

Description:

In a remote county of North Carolina, Kathryn Guilford receives the news that her long-time friend and one-time suitor is dead.  She turns to Dr. Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to help her learn the truth—and she is introduced to a mysterious world of blood-seeking flies and flesh-eating beetles.  But there’s a problem… Kathryn Guilford has a pathological fear of insects. Now she must confront her darkest fears to unearth a decade-long conspiracy that threatens to turn her entire world upside down.

Q & A with Tim Downs:

Q: Where did you get the idea for Nick Polchak’s character?

A: Several years ago I read an article in a science magazine about forensic entomology. I found the article disgusting and fascinating at the same time—that’s when I knew I had the makings of a good story. It occurred to me that a forensic entomologist could make a very original character. After all, in crime fiction it’s all been done before: street-wise cops, tough-guy detectives, down-and-out private investigators… All these characters are a part of the law enforcement system, but an entomologist is an outsider. An entomologist is someone who chose to get a PhD in bugs. I asked myself, “What would happen if you dropped a Bug Man in the middle of all these law enforcement types?” That’s when Nick Polchak was born.

Q: Do you really talk to yourself?

A: I’m sorry, what was the question? I was talking to myself.

Q: Why did you give Nick those big, thick glasses?

A: I wanted to emphasize the idea of Nick as an outsider. His glasses are one of the things that separate him from everyone else—they’re the windows he looks through to study the world of human beings. Nick likes to think of himself as a part of the insect world. I thought his glasses would make him look more like a genuine Bug/Man.

Q: Why is Nick such a wise guy?

A: Because I’m such a wise guy. Ask my wife.

Q: Is CSI really accurate?

A: Whenever I’m around coroners or crime scene investigators I like to ask, “What do you think of CSI?” They all like the show, but they always offer four criticisms: 1) No one seems to be a specialist. Forensic entomology, for example, requires a PhD for starters—you don’t dabble in it as a sidelight. 2) They have no budget. They run every test imaginable, regardless of cost. Real investigations don’t work that way. 3) They get their test results back too fast—in hours instead of days (they always say this with a note of envy). 4) There are too many forensic babes (they say this with a special note of envy).

Q: How do you do all your research?

A: I begin on the Internet—it always astounds me what you can find on the Internet. For each of my novels I fill four three-ring binders just with information from Internet sources. Next, I collect books on my major topics of interest. Finally—and this is the really indispensable step—I talk to people. I’ve interviewed coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, crime scene investigators—anyone who can help provide background knowledge or color for my stories. I find that people are more than happy to talk, once they know you’re not writing an expose for the Washington Post.

Q: Are the details about forensic entomology accurate? Do you make any of it up?

A: It’s accurate down to the smallest detail—even the species of flies. As a part of my research for Shoofly Pie, I attended a forensic entomology workshop for coroners, deputy coroners, and crime scene investigators. It’s affectionately known as Maggot School, and that describes it pretty well. In the mornings we discussed colorful slides taken at murder scenes (“Who can tell me how long this guy’s been dead?”) and in the afternoons we learned how to collect insect evidence at a crime scene by gathering maggots from decomposing pigs. The traditional closing banquet for the conference is a pig roast.

Book 2: Chop Shop

Description:

Dr. Riley McKay begins a fellowship program in forensic pathology at the renowned Allegheny County Coroner’s Office in Pittsburgh. She soon discovers that her supervising pathologist, Dr. Nathan Lassiter, has an unexplained history of bungled autopsies, concealed evidence, and unreported wounds. Ignored by her senior pathologists and threatened by Dr. Lassiter, she turns to Dr. Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to help her investigate.

Book 3: First the Dead

Description:

When Hurricane Katrina takes New Orleans by storm, forensic entomologist Nick Polchak is waiting for her. He’s part of DMORT, the FEMA team assigned to recover and identify human remains in large-scale disasters.

The trouble is, Nick isn’t much of a team player. And he doesn’t take well to following orders he doesn’t agree with... such as the decision to divert all DMORT personnel into rescuing the living and leaving the dead for later.

Nick begs to differ. He's there to collect bodies, and he's going to do just that—especially when he starts finding bodies that were clearly dead before the hurricane struck. Nick understands that all forensic evidence will soon disintegrate in the hot, contaminated water...and he knows that’s exactly what the killer wants to happen.

The more Nick tries to uncover answers, the stronger—and deadlier—the resistance becomes. And it doesn’t help that a beautiful psychiatrist thinks he’s on the verge of a mental breakdown.

In a world turned upside down, where people live on rooftops and streets are underwater, where everything and everyone is on the verge of collapse...can even the Bug Man uncover the truth?

MY THOUGHTS:

If you like CSI, you'll like these books!  Nick is a quirky character who likes bugs and would prefer to think of himself as a bug instead of human.  He even has "bug eyes" when he wears his think glasses.  He is more comfortable with bugs than people and has an unusual approach to people where he is more interested in watching their reaction to things than in being the way others think he is "supposed" to behave.  In that way, he ends up making himself endearing to me--I love that he is so quirky!

When you read these books, expect to be surprised sometimes at the level of detail pertaining to the bugs.  As the author states in his Q&A above, he did extensive research for these books and his knowledge comes through in some rather detailed accounts of the bugs and their behavior. 

The "supporting cast" of characters who are part of the books are enjoyable too.  They have to get used to Nick's way of relating, but once they do, they are grateful for his experitise and the things his unconventional methods can prove. 

I enjoyed these books very much.  I look forward to the fourth book, coming in September!

Summer Things Giveaway: Part 2

A new bunch of books to giveaway!

The giveaways for this theme will be about a random series of books related only because they are about things that make me think of summer!

For this theme I have a bunch of summer things in my mind:
1. bugs--very big issue for me this summer!
2. beach
3. travel
4. storms
5. horse-riding
6. gardening/farms
7. going home to visit my family
8. weddings
9. blue sky
10. dandelions
11. hiking
12. potlucks
13. crazy reality shows
14. books with the word "summer" in them

I had other words, but couldn't think of books to use to relate to them! :)

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the blog entries of the books you would like to win AND answer the question that goes with it. There will be one summer word giveaway at a time. 

Today's Question: Have you ever lived on a farm? Do you live in the city/country?

b. Enter on or before the date specified. Today's book winner will be drawn on July 29.

c. Check back for the next summer theme word giveaway!

Today's summer word: "gardening/farming"

The giveaway books: Traci DePree Lake Emily Series (A Can of Peas, Dandelions in a Jelly Jar, Aprons on a Clothesline)

My Thoughts First this time: Just wanted to say that I loved these books!  They made me think of coming home, going after your dreams, and the importance of family.  They are gentle and loving stories that will fill your mind and heart. 

From Traci DePree's website:

Welcome to Lake Emily...

As a Minnesota Christian fiction author, my desire is to celebrate the wonder of everyday life--the neighbor who lives down the road, the old man in the diner, the woman under the hair dryer at the beauty shop. Everyone has a story and my hope is that,  just as in Lake Emily, you will see God’s creation and inspiration in the people in your own lives.

A  story of  the hope of beginning, the connection to what came before, and kindness in times of deepest  need. The Lake Emily series is set in the quaint fictional small town of Lake Emily, Minnesota, where a neighbor is more than someone who lives down the road and where kindness is an everyday occurrence. The Lake Emily series begins with A Can of Peas and is continued in Dandelions in a Jelly Jar  and Aprons on a  Clothesline.

A Can of Peas

Weaving together the threads of family and friendship in a pattern of grace, forgiveness, and kindness, A Can of Peas invites readers into a place where every day brings a new story.

After the death of his grandfather, Peter Morgan and his new bride, Mae, face a life-changing decision: should they embrace the career-chasing ambitions of their family and friends in St. Paul or accept the absurd challenge of saving the family farm in the Minnesota countryside?

Enticed by the romance of a simple, quiet life, the Morgans set out to follow in the footsteps of Peter’s grandparents. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure as Mae struggles to find her place in Peter’s life and in the community. Will the strain of saving the farm tear their marriage apart? Was it a mistake to dream?  Click  to read a sample chapter  at Random House 

Dandelions in a Jelly Jar

The peaceful town of Lake Emily will never be the same when Trudy Ploog comes to stay!

Mae Morgan’s flamboyant art teacher sister, Trudy Ploog, moves to the quiet, rural town of Lake Emily, Minnesota, to be closer to Bert Biddle, her shy, unassuming farmer boyfriend. Everything is perfect and then...the school board cuts the Gifted and Talented program and rumors of more cuts fly.

Outraged, Trudy kicks up a whirlwind, beginning with a letter to the newspaper that questions the very foundation of small-town life--high school sports! Soon the whole town is talking, and Trudy and Bert’s relationship is put to the test. Meanwhile, the Morgan family is recovering from the loss of a child and the death of a life-long dream as Virginia Morgan helps a father and daughter rediscover life.

A hopeful story of facing the challenges of life with courage and learning to see with eyes of grace, Dandelions in a Jelly Jar gently reminds readers that the best bouquets are dandelions. 

Aprons on a Clothesline

Virginia Morgan is used to helping others—it’s who she is. A wife. A mother. A grandmother. A friend. But when Virginia suffers a debilitating stroke, she can no longer wear that apron. It is a change that sends her into the depths of hopelessness. Can she find her way to seeing that life is still well worth living? Or will she give up hope and sink deeper into despair?

Meanwhile, the Biddle, Morgan, and Wise families discover that each season of life has its adjustments—for Trudy Biddle marriage and a meddling mother-in-law, for Mae and Peter Morgan the challenges of keeping the family farm afloat as they welcome a new member into their midst, and for young Jessie Wise hopes for a new mother.

Filled with the enchantment that makes Lake Emily everyone’s hometown, Aprons on a Clothesline is a lovely reminder that hope can be found even in the tragedies of life and that joy waits in the most unexpected places.